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Flávio Bolsonaro calls himself 'leader of Brazil' from Miami after deleting a letter claiming to be its rightful president

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of jailed ex-president Jair, abandoned his demand for annulment of the result by Monday, pledging instead to lead the opposition.
Flávio Bolsonaro, son of jailed ex-president Jair, abandoned his demand for annulment of the result by Monday, pledging instead to lead the opposition.
Flávio Bolsonaro routed his escape flight through Guayaquil, Ecuador, to avoid Brazilian airspace after the Supreme Court cancelled his passports for ignoring a deadline to surrender them.
Flávio Bolsonaro routed his escape flight through Guayaquil, Ecuador, to avoid Brazilian airspace after the Supreme Court cancelled his passports for ignoring a deadline to surrender them.

Flávio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old senator whose presidential run-off defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva came by a margin exceeding four million votes, fled Brazil in defiance of a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, travelling through Argentina and Ecuador before touching down at Miami's Opa Locka Executive Airport on Wednesday. Trump granted him and his family visas, telling reporters "I think they're fine people" and calling the election "very strange". Bolsonaro's initial letter declared him "the elected president" before he deleted it and substituted the word "leader".

Brazil's three main newspapers described Bolsonaro's declaration as 'coup-mongering', and Lula called his secretive exit 'a shameful act'.

BBC Verify established that the extended polling hours Bolsonaro cites as evidence of a rigged result attracted no more than 34,000 voters — far short of the 4.4 million margin he would need to overturn.

Bolsonaro's father Jair similarly took refuge in Florida after his 2022 defeat to Lula, spending three months there before coming home to Brazil.

MoreBBC NewsFlávio Bolsonaro calls himself 'leader of Brazil' after election lossThe GuardianFlávio Bolsonaro’s defeat is a major blow to Trump and his orange waveBBC NewsFlávio Bolsonaro denies fleeing Brazil after landing in MiamiThe IndependentBolsonaro denies fleeing Brazil in first public statement after landing in USLBCFlávio Bolsonaro denies he has fled Brazil after arriving in US following election defeat he claims was riggedFox NewsBolsonaro declares himself 'leader' of Brazil after fleeing country, arriving in MiamiIrish TimesFlávio Bolsonaro calls himself the ‘leader of Brazil’ after fleeing to USNYT WorldTrump and His Aides Helped Bolsonaro Flee Brazil and Enter U.S.NYT WorldFlávio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Fleeing Brazil
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